


Destiny is a bitch with a soft side

by Alexander_Daeqirelle



Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: A little angst, Destiny, F/M, Fluff, Found Family, Gen, I just want Yennefer to be happy, The Law of Surprise (The Witcher), listen everyone insists on having complicated relationships so im not sure how to tag all of those
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-15 09:13:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28936086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alexander_Daeqirelle/pseuds/Alexander_Daeqirelle
Summary: Yennefer made her decision a long time ago but she's starting to regret it. She does want a baby. So when she finds out about the existence of the Law of Surprise she decides to use it to her advantage,  hoping it'll get her a child.Geralt has pretty much the opposite problem. He has a child surprise that he doesn't want.But Destiny has a plan for them.Inspired by Penny-anna's famous tumblr post.Updates every weekend.
Relationships: Calanthe Fiona Riannon/Eist Tuirseach, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon & Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia & Jaskier | Dandelion, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia & Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Jaskier | Dandelion & Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg
Comments: 14
Kudos: 50





	1. Law of Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so excited about this one!  
> I hope you like it :) let me know what you think!

The snow crunched beneath the man’s heavy boots as his feet tried frantically to get him as far and as fast away from the body as they could. Of course it had been a bad idea to go riding to the city in midwinter. Of course he could have expected to get lost when the small woodland roads were covered in a thick layer of snow. And of course he could have expected his horse, who had been with him for more than a decade now, would not prove to be fit enough to make the whole journey home.

His ragged breath formed small clouds in the air as he slowly made it up the slope of the hill, leaving her behind. He could already hear the wolves howl. They had probably found her by now.

He could only hope he was well out of their reach by the time they were done, but the more he thought about it, the more futile his attempt seemed. The farm he called home was still at least ten miles away and that was if he was going in the right direction, something he was far from sure of. And he was already out of breath.

The snow came almost to his knees and was still falling steadily from the sky. He started to lose feeling in his feet and grabbed the lowest branches of the trees around him to keep himself from falling over. Every step became a battle. He lifted his weary eyes from the ground where they’d focused on the way before him. The top of the hill was still far away. And he was so tired.

He closed his eyes briefly. Part of him was tempted to give in, to let the darkness take him before the wolves could. But a stronger part, the part of him that was screaming to live, forced him to open his eyes and push on.

A wolf howled in the distance, another one answered much closer. He was startled by the sound and his feet slipped. His arms swayed for a moment, searching for contact, before he caught hold of a tree. He pushed himself upward and turned around to gather his bearings. His eyes landed instantly on the giant white monster that was standing before him.

The man tried to back away only to find his back pressed to the tree that had saved him only moments ago. Two more wolves stepped out from between the trees, growling, watching him. He wanted to scream, to wave his arms, to do something, anything, but he was frozen in fear, watching wide-eyed as they slowly came closer.

He thought of his wife, his son, waiting by the fireplace for his return. _I’m so sorry._ They were very close now. He took a last deep breath and closed his eyes. He would spare himself the sight, if he could. And then he waited.

The wind had started to pick up, sending the snow flying. Even his heavy coat fluttered around him. The wolves growled again but it sounded different this time. Not the threatening growl they had used on him, a sure target. This one had an uncertain edge to it. And they still hadn’t attacked him.

The man opened his eyes and gasped. This was not a normal wind. It was caused by the portal that was opening a few steps away, the distortion in the air was definitely not natural. It took a few more moments for the portal to solidify and then a woman stepped out into the snow, her impossibly black hair flying in the wind.

Piercing violet eyes settled on him and he didn’t know whether he needed to be relieved or fear her even more than the beasts. They had certainly made up their mind, slowly retreating into the woods, their eyes not leaving the stranger as she approached.

She was wearing a sleeveless grey dress, yet she didn’t appear to be cold as she stepped easily through the thick layer of snow. He looked at her in awe, not protesting as she grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the still-open portal and, a moment later, pushed him through.

There was a moment of darkness, a moment of panic and then he fell on something soft, something that wasn’t snow, something that was… green? He looked up abruptly, utterly confused at the sight. He was in a meadow, filled with green grass and buttercups, the sun gently shining down on him. A sheep bleated in the distance. A faint smell hung in the air, of lilac and gooseberries.

He sat up and looked bewildered at the sorceress who was standing next to him, her stance relaxed like this was her regular Saturday afternoon.

“Where…” he managed. She gave him a smile, though it wasn’t a very pleasant one.

“Far enough,” she said as if it made everything perfectly clear. He was still too shocked to ask more questions and simply nodded, looking around again before settling his eyes back on her with a look of profound adoration.

“You saved my life. I… Thank you.” She smiled again and waited for him to continue. She knew he would. “I can never thank you enough but I will… I will give you anything you want.” Her smile grew wider. These were the words she had been waiting for.

“Indeed you will. I invoke the Law of Surprise, you will give me what have but do not yet know. Do you understand?”

He did. He had grown up on stories of knights and wars and destiny. He knew what the Law meant, although he hadn’t thought it was still in use today, or why somebody would ask for it. But he couldn’t refuse her, not after what she had done. He nodded.

The woman was still smiling but her eyes were far away and he tried to suppress a shiver as she directed her gaze back to him and held out a hand, wondering briefly what he had gotten himself into.

“Then let’s get you home shall we?” He accepted her hand and got up. A moment later, the meadow was gone.


	2. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Statues and feelings are revealed and decisions are made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early update because it's the last week of winter break and I had some extra time :) Hope you enjoy it!

The sun was shining down relentlessly on Yennefer as she stood on the small stage in the town square, and her black dress did nothing to dispel the heat.

Curse this town and its grateful inhabitants. If they really wanted to thank her they should give her some shade and a drink. She sighed and tried her best not to look too annoyed. She wanted to get out of this place as soon as possible and not making new enemies was probably the fastest way.

Last week she had saved twelve young men who had been crossing the mountains but had gotten stuck in a canyon after an unexpected avalanche had blocked their path. She had managed to get them all back here safely, invoking the Law of Surprise on all of them afterwards. This had gotten her three dogs, more food than she would ever be able to eat and a house, and now she was also getting a statue.

Great. She suspected it was only in part due to her saving the lives of twelve men and a bigger part due to her deciding not to take eight people’s complete harvest and bestow famine upon the place.

So far her Law-of-Surprise quest was not having the expected results. Not here, not anywhere else. She had found dogs, cats and every other imaginable pet, newly built houses, more harvests and a very uncomfortable encounter with someone’s long lost brother who had come home, but no baby. Still no baby.

It almost seemed as if destiny didn’t want her to have a child, but she pushed that thought far away. Screw destiny. She’d make her own.

The mayor had begun to give his speech. “… and they would not have been here without you, Yennefer of Vengerberg. We cannot thank you enough for the great blessings you have bestowed upon our humble town…”

Yennefer quickly zoned out after that, her eyes absentmindedly darting over the crowd until they suddenly caught a glimpse of pale white hair, somewhere in the back. She searched for the face that belonged to it but deep down she already knew it could only be him. Geralt of Rivia. And beside him, in a ridiculous purple hat with a feather, stood the last person she wanted to witness this ordeal. That obnoxious bard he seemed to bring everywhere these days. Yennefer silently swore that if he wrote a song about this she would kill him herself.

The mayor was finally done talking and the time had come to unveil the statue. It was… ugly to say the least. It had obviously been a rushed job, but Yennefer didn’t mind. The fewer people recognized it the better. She didn’t come here to be someone’s hero.

She left the stage in a hurry and made her way to the nearest bar to get that cold drink she’d been waiting for.

………………………………………

Geralt sat down at her table, putting his bags on the ground. The bard followed closely behind, carefully carrying two tankards of beer filled to the brim and clearly trying not to waste a drop.

“You’ve built quite a reputation for yourself I see.”

She ignored his rather obvious statement, sipping her own drink instead. She knew the Witcher wasn’t one for small talk so she simply waited for him to get to the point. She could tell he had questions and she was right. After a few moments of silence he continued.

“A whole town full of celebrations yet you’re the only one who doesn’t seem happy. It was never about this place, was it? Why only the young men? What do you ask of them? Surely you don’t need to save them first in order to…”

“It’s not like that,” she cut in, a frown on her face at the suggestion. So he knew about her other interferences as well. She should have expected that.

“Then what is it?”

She sighed. “The Law of Surprise. That’s what I ask. Not that it’s any of your business, Geralt.”

“Hmm.”

Geralt’s usually grumpy face grew even darker at the mention of the peculiar law. There was an intensity in his dark eyes he usually reserved for the grim stories he was told by traumatized villagers before he started the hunt for a particularly gruesome monster.

Jaskier clearly had no such thoughts on his mind.

“Don’t mind him,” he said lightly. “He’s not a big fan of that thing. It caused him quite some trouble a while ago.”

“What do you mean?” She was surprised. That didn’t sound like the usual kind of trouble the Witcher got in.

“He got stuck with a child he refuses to claim, about what, nine years ago?. It was quite the scandal I’d say.”

If Yennefer hadn’t set her glass down a moment ago she would have dropped it. Her mouth fell open and she spoke with a mixture of anger and disbelief.

“A child? Geralt, you have a child?”

Jaskier’s eyes gleamed. He had never seen the scary witch caught off guard before and it filled him with not just a little bit of pride. Plus court gossip always was his favourite, so with a flair of drama and with a conspiratorial edge to his voice launched into the story, while Geralt characteristically stayed silent.

“Not just any child. Princess Cirilla of Cintra. He saved her father’s life at their betrothal feast. You should’ve seen Calanthe’s face. Oh boy, was she angry! But he hasn’t gone back to claim her, have you Geralt? She must be about eight years old now. Calanthe’s been raising her after Duny and Pavetta died at sea. Tragic story, though there’s a lovely song called…”

But Yennefer wasn’t interested in the song. “Why haven’t you gone back?” she demanded. She was truly angry now. “She’s yours, Geralt, not Calanthe’s.”

“I don’t want her.”

“You don’t _want_ her?”

“No.”

Her violet eyes flashed and Jaskier could swear the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees when she spoke, with fire in her eyes but a tongue full of ice.

“What is that for kind of reason? Do you have any idea what I would give for a child? And you have one, are responsible for one, and you just leave her?”

Geralt abruptly looked up.

“Is that why you are doing this? To get yourself a baby?”

She didn’t respond.

“Why? There’s an orphanage in almost every city. If you want a child why don’t you stop by one of those and pick one?”

Her anger seemed to have suddenly disappeared and Geralt looked her inquiringly, his brows now knotted together in concern.

“Yen?”

And then she finally let herself say it.

“Because all my life, everything I had could always be taken away. The house I grew up in until my father sold me, everything I had at Aretuza, the room, the clothes, I only borrowed it. Even now, with my magic I can summon everything I want but it can vanish just as quickly. And any child I have now won’t be bound to me by blood and if it gets taken away there’s nothing that really marks it as mine. But no matter what happens in the future it will always belong to me if we’re bound by destiny.”

“Or a wish.”

“What?”

Geralt had spoken softly and Yennefer was caught off guard for the second time in one day. She would berate herself for it later, no doubt.

“The djinn, do you remember?”

“Of course.”

“My last wish. It bound us together. My fate to yours.”

She shook her head in confusion. “Why did you do that?”

“I didn’t want to lose you.”

He wasn’t looking at her now, keeping his eyes firmly trained on the barely touched beer before him.

“Geralt…”

“But do you see what this means? If it’s a connection you want, you already have it. If it’s a family you want, be part of ours.”

He took a deep breath. His heart had already made up its mind, but his brain was still catching up. But he went on, suddenly, finally, sure what he wanted.

“We’ll go to Cintra, get the girl, you know as well as I do that I can’t take care of her on my own. She’s bound to me, I’m bound to you. She can be yours too.”

She stayed silent, thinking of a response, but he wasn’t done.

“Yennefer… For how many years have you been trying this? It’s clearly not working. Besides, it’s better not to get destiny involved. She’s quite a bitch, trust me. Don’t do this to yourself. Come with me.”

There were so many objections. Did they have the same opinions on how to raise a child? Were their lives even compatible? And they were friends, sure, sometimes even a bit more, but were they close enough to have a child together? This was hardly something to make impulse decisions about.

But quickly those thoughts started to be drowned out by others. He had a point, of course, about destiny. About a lot of things really.

_If it’s a connection you want, you already have it. If it’s a family you want, be part of ours._

_She’s bound to me, I’m bound to you. She can be yours too._

_A family._

That’s what she really, desperately wanted, even if she hadn’t let herself say it out loud before. Geralt was giving her a chance at this now. His last wish, her only one.

Perhaps the girl was his destiny only but there was one more thing he was right about. He couldn’t take care of her alone.

Yennefer felt her lips curl into a smile.

“I’ll come with you.”


	3. It's all coming together now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yennefer, Jaskier and Geralt make preparations and Calanthe has a bad feeling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really struggled with this part but I'm just going to put it up here and stop looking at it.

There are a lot of decisions involved in parenting, even if you don’t have the child yet. 

The first thing that needed to be settled was what to do about the living arrangements. Geralt’s hunting life was no suitable way to raise a child and Yennefer didn’t have a real home either, but Jaskier pointed out that Yennefer now owned several houses and they could pick one of those. 

It led to their first argument, but they eventually chose a lovely farmhouse a few miles away from any village, so they wouldn’t be disturbed by neighbors with questions but also so that they wouldn’t have to go far to go shopping for supplies and so that Ciri could make some friends that weren’t adults.

Child-proofing the house proved to be a lot more difficult than expected, mainly because Jaskier (who had already given himself the title of uncle) insisted that the entire place be re-painted. 

“Everything is so dark, Geralt!” he exclaimed. “She’s a child, she needs happy colors!” 

“Children don’t need happy colors, they’re fine with everything,” the Witcher objected. 

“They’re not fine with everything! They want something bright to cheer up their day as soon as they wake up!” 

“That’s not true, I’ve never needed a painted wall.” 

Jaskier rolled his eyes. “Yes and you’re such a cheerful person. Come on Geralt, you don’t have to paint the whole house, just do her room then.” 

“Fine,” grumbled Geralt. 

Yennefer watched the exchange in silence and hid her smile behind a cup of wine. 

After Jaskier had painted Ciri’s room a soft light purple that both Geralt and Yennefer agreed had its charm, they needed to decorate the place. Yennefer spent the better part of a morning organizing all the potions in her room while Geralt went outside to chop wood for their furniture – he refused to just buy some no matter how much Jaskier begged. 

Yennefer smoothed out the wood, using her magic to remove all the splinters and Geralt started putting logs together, which was a lot harder than it seemed. A table was one thing, that he got done, but constructing a bed for his Child Surprise was another. 

If only Vesemir could see him now, he thought, frustrated as the frame fell apart for the second time that afternoon. The famous Witcher, now more like a failed carpenter. 

He did get it finished late that night, though it wasn’t as sturdy as it should be. Yennefer said nothing but quietly adjusted the nails with a spell when he was asleep. 

The second problem was how to combine their work life with a child. They decided that Geralt would continue to hunt, but stay at the house between jobs and teach Ciri self-defense and everything about the different cultures he knew. Yennefer would work on her potions and teach Ciri about nature while Geralt was gone and when he was home she would go out and travel and perform her spells and sell her creations. Uncle Jaskier would stop by on this travels from court to court and teach the girl all about music. 

It was a perfect plan. Now all that they needed was Ciri herself. 

…………………

Calanthe had been pacing the hall all morning, walking briskly from one end of the room to another before making a sharp turn on her heels and going back the same way. It unnerved her husband more than he dared to admit but that was not the worst part. The worst part was her silence. The queen was never this quiet. 

She turned around again but Eist caught her by the wrist this time, forcing her to stop. The room was suddenly eerily quiet without the sound of her footsteps. 

“Calanthe.” 

The silence stretched on. 

“Tell me what’s wrong, darling.” 

Eist’s voice was soft and she looked up to meet his concerned gaze and something in her chest loosened. He had always been the only one who could really get through to her. Her eyes traveled to the far wall. 

“Something’s not right, I can feel it.” 

Eist’s other hand reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind one of his wife’s ears. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Something’s coming, but I don’t know what it is.” 

Eist’s eyebrows knitted together in a frown. “Nilfgaard? I thought they weren’t ready for war yet. Should I call the guards?” 

Calanthe shook her head, her eyes far away. “It’s not Nilfgaard. It’s… it’s about Ciri.” 

She paused for a moment, then turned to look at him. 

“This morning, at breakfast, I felt like it was the last time we would be together like that. Like she’s going to leave me. No,” she said, an edge of fear creeping into her voice. “Like she’s going to be taken away.” 

Eist wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, pressing a soft kiss to her temple. 

“I know you worry about her, but she’s perfectly safe here in the castle. No one’s going to take her away. I won’t let them, okay? Nothing bad is going to happen to her I promise.” 

“Okay,” said Calanthe, resting her head on his shoulder and letting herself be held. But he was wrong, and she knew it.


	4. Hello, goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Geralt picks up his child surprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really happy with this part! Hope you like it :)

Geralt and Roach made their way to Cintra at a steady pace.

Given the city’s known hatred for sorcerers and the fact that they wouldn’t be too pleased with the reason of this visit in the first place, Yennefer had chosen to stay behind and wait until Geralt and Ciri returned. She wasn’t very happy about it, but it seemed to be the smartest move. She’d been waiting for years, she could wait a day longer.

Meanwhile Geralt would give anything not to have the conversation he had to have with Ciri’s grandmother today. He knew how she felt about the Law of Surprise and how much she had cared for her daughter and still cared for her granddaughter.

He knew he would cause her pain today and it was not something he was looking forward to. He left Roach at the stables and made his way towards the castle.

When he crossed the square he walked past a group of young children immersed in play and unconsciously slowed his steps, watching them chase after the dice and listening to their laughter. His heart jumped in joy at the thought that soon there would be a child laughing in his own house.

The dice landed at Geralt’s feet and he knelt on the ground to pick them up. The kids stopped running and one of them approached him.

A young girl with bright eyes and a lock of hair sticking out from underneath her cap that was almost as white as Geralt’s own. She held out her hands and he let the dice gently fall into her gloves.

“Here you go.”

“Thank you,” she said, closing her hand, and ran back to her friends to resume their game.

Geralt got up, glancing over his shoulder one more time before he decidedly strode towards the castle gates.

The queen wasn’t in the throne room when he arrived but he spotted her husband almost immediately. He’d met the man only once and had liked him, but there was none of the friendliness now that he had seen that day and Geralt realized instantly that Eist must have known why he had come.

“She won’t see you.”

Geralt sighed. So much for polite greetings then. Not a great start.

“Then why didn’t the guards stop me?”

“Because she doesn’t want you to come back another time.”

Eist took a few steps forward so the two men stood face to face. Geralt gave him a wry smile.

“You’re here to dissuade me.”

“Yes. Calanthe has no problem killing you, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to talk. I know you to be a man of honor, Geralt, where is the honor in taking a young girl from her home?”

To the untrained eye Eist might have come across confident, a man who knows he is right and knows that he can convince people of it too. To the Witcher his words sounded more like a plea. Like a man who knows he can’t win but is trying regardless.

He knows that’s why he walked in here without being killed, and the real reason behind Calanthe’s absence. They know too, that they’re fighting a losing battle, that they’ll have to let Ciri go, because it’s not Geralt they’re up against, it’s Destiny.

But they refuse to see it yet, like a man on his deathbed arguing with the reaper. She’s still here, still theirs, for the moment, and they’re clinging to her for as long as they can.

Geralt answers, joining the dance.

“The honor is in keeping a promise I made, though you think too highly of me. An honorable man would have been there for her from the day she was born, instead of waiting this long. But I am here now.”

“But why now? What changed?”

He was confused, trying to understand.

“I couldn’t care for a child back then, but I’m ready now. I have a home, a” he hesitated on the word for a moment, “a partner. I can take care of her now. She will be happy.”

“She _is_ happy.”

Geralt turned around, facing Calanthe, who was standing in the door opening behind him. Her eyes were red-rimmed but the words she directed at him were angry.

He didn’t know enough about the girl to contradict that but he knew something else.

“She’s not where she’s meant to be.”

“She’s my granddaughter, she belongs with me!”

“That’s not what Duny decided.”

A silence, after his name. The queen still resented him for what he did those years ago. But the words said that day were clear as ever.

“What are your plans for her?” Her eyes were still flaming but she wasn’t shouting anymore.

“To love her,” Geralt said simply. “To teach her. To let her grow into whoever she wants to be. Calanthe,” he held her gaze. “I will look after her until she’s eighteen and then let her decide what she wants and if she wants to stay with me I’ll let her, and if she wants to come back I’ll let her do that too. She’s not my prisoner. And she’ll write.”

He left out the fact that he hadn’t spoken to his ‘partner’ about Ciri potentially leaving them when she reached adulthood. If Ciri was so happy she didn’t even want to leave, Yennefer would never even have to know. But he wanted to give her the right to choose.

There were more questions. There were more answers. Until inevitably the three of them ran out of things to say. Until Calanthe realized there was nothing left to try and relented. But she wouldn’t leave until morning. She deserved to say a proper goodbye.

To that Geralt agreed, and he settled in to wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, Ciri will be happy because I want her to be and this is a happy story :)


	5. Happiest moments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ciri, Yennefer and Geralt settle into their new life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for both the late update and the rather abrupt end! I had a whole lot more planned but my life is kind of a mess right now so I simply don't have the time. I didn't want to leave this unfinished so I've taken some of the ideas I had and turned them into a collection of moments :) Hope you like it!

Things with Ciri understandably started slow. She was not at all thrilled to leave the castle and the city she grew up in nor the people she loved. Children, though, can adjust quickly to a new life and so did she and the longer she stayed in their new home, the more Geralt and Yennefer saw her smile. The thing she seemed to enjoy the most was her newfound freedom.

When Geralt first saw his child he had been surprised to see he had met her before. She had been dressed differently, in a fancy dress this time, but her bright eyes and the white hair, now no longer hidden under a cap, had stood out and he had recognized her immediately.

The girl with the dice.

Now that they were out in the country she didn’t have to hide who she was anymore and she was allowed to just be a kid. Every weekend Yennefer took Ciri into town and while she went shopping Ciri played with some of the local kids and was soon making friends. She wouldn’t stop talking about it on the way home.

“And Jesse seeked and seeked but he couldn’t find me!” she said excitedly with a spring in her step.

The kids didn’t let her win anymore now that they didn’t know about her status but she managed to beat them of her own accord more often than not and she was delighted every time. Yennefer walked beside her, carrying the bag with fresh goods she bought, and smiled at her with both pride for her achievement and joy at seeing her so happy.

“Well done! Where did you hide?”

“Behind the butcher’s stall!” she said, before giggling and adding, “Jesse’s afraid of blood.”

Yennefer laughed along and found herself marveling at how often that was happening these days.

“That’s so smart of you!”

She stopped walking momentarily to reach over and pull Ciri into a hug.

On other days she took Ciri into the woods around the house to tell her all about different plants and showed her what they were used for. The girl wasn’t as interested in plants as she was in Yennefer’s magic and soon asked her to teach her.

Yennefer was hesitant at first until Ciri threw a temper tantrum and screamed so loud the walls nearly collapsed on them. She then figured it wouldn’t be a bad thing to teach her at least how to control her magic.

She taught her how to levitate and multiply objects and watched Ciri’s eyes light up as she made her first pencil float inches above the table, then instantly drop it again when she got so exited she lost her focus. Yennefer was still beaming with pride.

One morning there were six nearly identical blueberries lying on the table. Ciri was staring intently at them. She had multiplied one blueberry into six and now Yen (she’d shortened it already) had asked her to pick out the original one. She’d done such a good job that it was hard to spot the differences but she was determined to get it right.

She was so focused she didn’t even look up when the door opened and Geralt walked in, returning from his hunt.

“Hi Ciri.”

He didn’t get a response. Yennefer walked in and returned his greetings instead.

“Hi Geralt. Everything go well?”

“Of course,” he said, but his eyes were still on the little girl. “If this is how children are entertained these days no one should ever complain about parenting again.”

Yennefer grinned. “Don’t say that too soon. She’s a handful.” But there was no bite to it.

“It’s an exercise. I’m teaching her a few simple spells. She’s been working on the berries all week. We’ve got so many I even made a pie. It’s in the kitchen if you want some, there should be a bit left.”

Geralt seemed impressed and surprised and Yennefer couldn’t help but feel the same way. She’d never baked anything before but Ciri loved pie and she found it hard to say no to that smile.

...

After Yennefer left Geralt decided to teach Ciri some basic fighting skills. He knew she was young but physical exercise was important and it’s never too early to know some self-defense, though he hoped she’d never need it. They were standing in the backyard, facing each other, and even though Ciri obviously tried to look fierce the Witcher couldn’t help but think how adorable she was.

“Okay, now keep your arms up and your hands like this,” he said, folding his hands into fists, “but remember to tuck your thumb inside so you don’t hurt it, alright?”

Ciri nodded and she took a few swings, which he dodged easily, until she seemed to get discouraged and he slowed down enough for her to hit him and he let himself fall on the ground in defeat.

He heard her laugh with his face in the dust and he felt a stab of anger directed at Vesemir. _There are other ways to teach kids. It didn’t have to be so brutal. You could have made learning fun._

He shook himself out of it and half sat up before tackling Ciri to the ground. She squealed in surprise for a moment before she hugged him back and Geralt couldn’t remember the last time he had to bite back tears

. . .

“Geralt?”

“Hmm?”

He was sitting in a chair in the living room and had been staring into the fire, lost in thoughts when Ciri entered the room. She was standing in the doorway with her blanket over her shoulder.

“Can’t sleep.”

Geralt pushed himself up and found himself holding out his hand for her to take.

“Come on, I’ll walk you up.”

Together they made their way back to Ciri’s room and Geralt tucked her in. It was getting colder outside and she almost disappeared under the thick blanket.

“Can you read me a story?” her little voice piped up as he made to leave.

“Hmm.”

He was lost for words for a moment, no one had asked him that before, and then he noticed they didn’t have any children’s books.

“I’ll tell you one, is that okay too?”

She nodded, looking at him expectantly when he sat down on the edge of the bed, thinking hard of something he knew that was suitable for children.

“Alright, one time I was traveling through the woods and I passed by a large house.”

“Like ours?” Ciri asked.

“No, much, much bigger and in it lived a man. But it wasn’t an ordinary man, you see, he had the body of a man but the head of a bear.”

“Why?”

“Because he was cursed.”

“Why?”

"Because he did something really bad and this was his punishment.”

“Oh.”

“But he didn’t really mind because his house was also cursed and had to do everything he wanted.”

"Like what?” she asked curiously.

“Turn on the lights, open and close doors, bring him food, those kind of things. But he was lonely because people were afraid of him and they would only stay with him when he promised them treasure. Until one day, he met someone who loved him for who he was, and that love undid the curse and he was a normal man again. Never underestimate the importance of love Ciri.”

“Okay,” she whispered, her eyes starting to close.

“Goodnight.”

He leaned over to lightly press a kiss to her forehead, then blew out the candle and carefully closed the door behind him. 

...

Jaskier stopped by increasingly often, something Yennefer wasn’t too thrilled about, but Ciri adored him.

He had tried to teach her some music but she didn’t care much about it and preferred dancing around while Jaskier played. Yennefer would watch her dance from her seat at the table but more often than not Ciri would come over, grab her hands and drag her to the ‘dance floor’ and Yennefer found herself joining the girl in her wild, completely off-beat dances.

Jaskier was laughing, Ciri was laughing, and Yennefer was laughing too, spinning her daughter around and around and she realized that this was what she had wanted all along. A house full of music and laughter, a happy family.

And when she held Ciri’s hands in a clumsy attempt at a two-people circle, she knew that she was finally, truly, home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and special thanks to those who left comments/kudos :)


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